Donut Dolly: An American Red Cross Girl's War in Vietnam

by Joann Puffer Kotcher

Overview

Donut Dolly is taken from the diary Joann Puffer Kotcher kept while working for the Red Cross for twelve months during the Vietnam War. She was one of the first women allowed in a combat zone and was almost killed six times. See the war through her eyes, face-down in the dirt under a sniper attack, in a helicopter being struck by lightning, and slogging through the mud to foxholes and bunkers.

“[A] riveting first-hand account of Joann Puffer Kotcher's experiences as a program director for the American Red Cross in the early years of the Vietnam War. . . . I recommend Donut Dolly to those interested in the advancements of the role of women in the armed forces.”—Military Review

“Donut Dolly . . . offers a unique perspective from one of some 600 young women who served, often in harm’s way, to bring a touch of home to the Americans in Vietnam.”—Vietnam Magazine

“Readers may be surprised to learn details of the role American Red Cross women played, often serving in dangerous and remote areas. . . . Her memories are especially interesting coming from a time when gender norms were changing both at home and in war.”—Library Journal

Number 6: North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series

After graduating from the University of Michigan, JOANN PUFFER KOTCHER volunteered to serve with the American Red Cross in Korea and Vietnam from 1965 to 1967. She is featured in the film documentary Our Vietnam Generation (2011). Kotcher lives in Michigan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781574416985
Publisher:	University of North Texas Press
Publication date:	10/23/2017
Series:	North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series , #6
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	498,441
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

After graduating from the University of Michigan, JOANN PUFFER KOTCHER was assigned to Korea and Vietnam as an American Red Cross volunteer from 1965 to 1967, and was one of the first women allowed in a combat zone. She is featured in the film documentary Our Vietnam Generation (2011). Kotcher lives with her husband in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Author's Note xix

Chapter 1 On My Way to the War 1

Part I Arrival and An Khe

Chapter 2 A Blacked-Out Runway 25

Chapter 3 A Disguise to Fool a Sniper 51

Chapter 4 Hot Landing Zone 93

Part II Dong Ba Thin

Chapter 5 Poison Booth at the Carnival 117

Part III Di An

Chapter 6 Bring a Case of Beer 147

Chapter 7 A Veteran under the Desk 169

Part IV Bien Hoa and the Voyage Home

Chapter 8 Rabies 201

Chapter 9 Ambush in the Delta 227

Chapter 10 The Cigarette in the Rain 253

Chapter 11 The Long, Confusing Road Home 277

Epiloue 289

Appendix 1 Let Us Remember 291

Appendix 2 Some Questions Answered 295

Appendix 3 Whatever Happened To 305

Endnotes 315

Works Cited 331

Index 341

Interviews

 Rochester, MI

Editorial Reviews

“Donut Dolly is an engaging and useful account of an almost totally ignored facet of the Vietnam War. Kotcher and her colleagues attempted to make life more bearable for the soldiers and airmen engaged in the war, and along the way her insights are fascinating.”—G. L. Seligmann, co-editor of The Sweep of American History

“Memoirs about women’s experiences in the Vietnam War are hard to come by and outnumbered by books filled with men’s combat experiences. Women’s experiences reveal an entirely different dimension of the war. The day to day interactions that Kotcher had with servicemen certainly succeeded in warming their hearts and reminding them what they were fighting for.”—Meghan K. Winchell, author of Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun

“One day while guarding Highway 13, we had the rare pleasure of your ladies visiting us. I couldn’t believe that you would come to such a terrible place. You were a treat for us to see. We wanted to go home so bad. To see you was a blessing. You may never know how many lives you touched by coming to visit us.”—Gary W. Dyer, Sergeant, C 1/28, 1st Infantry Division, Quan Loi, 1967-68

From the Publisher

In 1966, bored and in search of adventure, Kotcher joined the American Red Cross and headed for Vietnam. She came from a military family and had already served as a Donut Dolly (the nickname for American Red Cross women in theaters of war) in Korea. Her mother convinced her to keep a journal, and this forms the basis for the book. Kotcher set up recreation centers for troops all over Vietnam, providing food (although she learned quickly that Vietnam's climate was "too hot" for donuts), reading and writing materials, and a kind face, a reminder of home. Readers may be surprised to learn details of the role American Red Cross women played, often serving in dangerous and remote areas as the first women officially allowed in a combat zone. Kotcher was smart, open-minded, and sympathetic and was able to bond well with soldiers from all walks of life. Her memories are especially interesting coming from a time when gender norms were changing both at home and in war. VERDICT Recommended to readers interested in baby-boomer memoirs, personal stories of the United States in Vietnam, and women's studies.—Patti McCall, Pratt Inst. Lib., Brooklyn

Library Journal